What year and where was my Singer 111W-153 built?

[Sugarkryptonite]

Hi guys,

New to this site, I just got this yesterday from my uncle, it's my first machine, just spent yesterday cleaning it up and oiling it.

I'm having trouble finding info online about where these machines were built and what year. I read 1940 on one site, and in a German plant on another, but some people said they were made in USA, anyone with more info?

https://imgur.com/a/XTLb5ow

Serial # is "W937330"

Some parts on the machine say made in W. Germany, and others say made in USA

- 

Also, could anyone explain what the difference is between the 111 machines? 111W-151, 153, 154, 155? I believe the 151 is not a walking foot, but that's all I know.

[DonInReno]

Congrats on the new machine and welcome.  You are in luck - there is information on just about everything you’d ever need to know about your new machine here, but there is a little trick to finding it and it’s  best done with google.   At Google type in your search word followed by “site:leatherworker.net”  

For instance:

singer 111w153 site:leatherworker.net

One of the easiest ways to learn the difference between the various singer machines is to look up the user manual for them and there will be a description early in first few pages of what it will do, and often machines that are very similar will share a manual.

Most vintage machines like yours were used in factory settings and as it was serviced and rebuilt over the years many parts were replaced or swapped as needed to keep them up and running so it’s not surprising that some parts say made in Germany while your machine was made in the US.  With these older machines don’t assume everything was adjusted or repaired correctly - along the same lines don’t change or adjust something if you don’t understand how to do it.

 

 

[bermudahwin]

or look here...

http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/let_singer_date_your_sewing_machine_for_you.html

H

[Sugarkryptonite]

1 hour ago, DonInReno said:

Congrats on the new machine and welcome.  You are in luck - there is information on just about everything you’d ever need to know about your new machine here, but there is a little trick to finding it and it’s  best done with google.   At Google type in your search word followed by “site:leatherworker.net”  

For instance:

singer 111w153 site:leatherworker.net

One of the easiest ways to learn the difference between the various singer machines is to look up the user manual for them and there will be a description early in first few pages of what it will do, and often machines that are very similar will share a manual.

Most vintage machines like yours were used in factory settings and as it was serviced and rebuilt over the years many parts were replaced or swapped as needed to keep them up and running so it’s not surprising that some parts say made in Germany while your machine was made in the US.  With these older machines don’t assume everything was adjusted or repaired correctly - along the same lines don’t change or adjust something if you don’t understand how to do it.

 

 

Thanks. Yeah I think it will need a tune-up... There's some people around me that do it but I'd love to learn how to tune it myself. I have the manual but it's not a great copy and the instructions aren't very clear ...

55 minutes ago, hwinbermuda said:

or look here...

http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/let_singer_date_your_sewing_machine_for_you.html

H

Yeah I checked out that website before, information seems kinda scattered. It says you can email Singer on one of their pages so that's what I just did now. Hope they respond 

[bermudahwin]

47 minutes ago, Sugarkryptonite said:

Yeah I checked out that website before, information seems kinda scattered. It says you can email Singer on one of their pages so that's what I just did now. Hope they respond 

They were quite quick coming back to me a while back.

they have an industrial machine lookup, from within the Singer site, but I am on a phone atm and its near impossible to read.

I think ###W### machines are from Bridgeport, Connecticut USA, as per https://www.oldsewingear.com/blog/where-was-my-singer-machine-made

Best

Harry

[Trevor Baret]

To find the age of your machine, find its serial number, and look it up here -

http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/serial-numbers/singer-sewing-machine-serial-number-database.html

To get some basics about what they were originally designed to do, look up the model numbers here - 

http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/model-list/classes-100-199.html

Hope that helpw.

[Sugarkryptonite]

17 minutes ago, Trevor Baret said:

To find the age of your machine, find its serial number, and look it up here -

http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/serial-numbers/singer-sewing-machine-serial-number-database.html

To get some basics about what they were originally designed to do, look up the model numbers here - 

http://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/model-list/classes-100-199.html

Hope that helpw.

Thanks. I've looked on these sites already but there's no listing for "W series serial numbers"...I don't get it. It goes s, v ,y, no w.

Edited December 17, 2018 by Sugarkryptonite

[bermudahwin]

The model number is the W, the serial number will be elsewhere.

I don't know the model well enough to know where.

H

[Sugarkryptonite]

Just now, hwinbermuda said:

The model number is the W, the serial number will be elsewhere.

I don't know the model well enough to know where.

H

Right, but the serial number is also W. W937330 is imprinted under the model number on the machine, unless that's wrong?

[bermudahwin]

May well be right.

I have one machine that I cannot place, it has an E prior to the serial number...

Singer gave up on that one.

H